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All the World’s a Stage … Winsted Included
By Karen Hunter
 | | Chuck Rek |
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A community theater has taken root in our town. Thanks to the generosity of the Shafeek Nader Trust, director Penny Owen has been enlisted to cultivate our theater and its players. Owen is an energetic spitfire whose patience and talent have allowed community members with little or no acting experience an opportunity to play on stage. For the past several weeks the Winsted Community Theater and its Mountain Laurel Players (as they have been unofficially dubbed) have been rehearsing Master Shakespeare’s MacBeth (yes, Edith, the Scottish play). We’ve been meeting three times a week at Redman’s Hall for a production scheduled for the end of March, and I have been given the task of reporting on the progression of the rehearsals and hope to offer you a hint of the process.
The cast consists of several locals, while other members travel from neighboring communities to rehearse. We come from many walks of life—elementary school students, homemakers, healthcare workers, a college professor, and all else in between. The community theater provides a unique arena where the young and the young at heart mingle and collaborate, working towards a common goal. During rehearsals, age and socio-economic barriers are dissolved as we are offered an equal opportunity to play.
Auditions were held two evenings in January at the Winsted Town Hall and we were asked to read a monologue from MacBeth. On the third day, Owen telephoned each of us with our assignments. Penny possesses an instinct for casting the players, as each member seems perfectly matched to the character they were assigned to portray.
The audition process was a positive experience and I would recommend any one of you to participate in the next casting call. If you fear rejection, there's no need to worry—as each participant is guaranteed a part. I must warn the public at this time, however, of Penny’s persuasive powers. For example, Chuck Rek innocently brought his son Daniel to the audition and Owen envisioned Chuck as her MacDuff. Although Chuck had no intention to audition, Owen pleaded and eventually convinced him to join the cast. She’s good! Chuck is now traveling from Prospect and seems to be enjoying himself. Like many others in the cast, he has no formal training, yet he’s quickly becoming an actor. The only problem I foresee with Chuck is his having to wear long pants during the performances.
 | | Raymond D'Arche and Steven Lowenthal |
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The men in the cast were afforded the opportunity to work with martial arts expert Barry Small of Harwinton. They gathered one Saturday to practice stage combat techniques using wooden poles and plastic daggers. This formal training will help the actors portray a believable battle during the upcoming performances. Brien LaForge of Winsted, cast as Malcolm, is interested in pursuing further training with Small.
Owen’s brain must be packed tightly with dendrites, as she saw an opportunity for an acting exercise following the men's martial arts session. She arranged a party to be held after the men had battled all afternoon, where the women were instructed to wear long skirts, bring a dish of food, and be prepared to serve their men as they unwound from combat. This exercise was meant to teach the players something of their characters' medieval attitudes. Owen was a bit disappointed with the results, as she observed her female cast members serving the males with a pinch of sarcasm and a dash of threat of poisoning. As she attempts to enlighten her cast about the values of the past, she may need to cast a spell of her own. Although subservience was not mastered, Shakespearean romance did penetrate the party as Raymond D’Arche (Banquo) and Amanda Maragnano (Lady MacBeth) announced their engagement.
Adieu, Hecate.
 | | Amanda Maragnano and Michelle Boilard |
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